Editorial: Border Patrol surge brings results

The U.S. Border Patrol’s recent crackdown on illegal border crossers in Green Valley has led to a steady stream of arrests.

In the period between May 4-10, the Border Patrol apprehended 115 people, with 17 being arrested in response to calls from area residents.

We congratulate the Border Patrol on the success of its surge, a concentrated effort to double and often triple the number of agents in the vicinity.

We encourage citizens to call the Border Patrol at (877) USBP-HELP when they suspect illegal activity.

This is your community. You do not have to live with border crossers trespassing on your property, throwing trash in the desert or hitching rides to other destinations, if you so choose.

The corridor between Tucson and Nogales results in half the arrests and drug seizures made by the Border Patrol.

The porous border with Mexico brings hundreds of border crossers into the region daily. With summer approaching, dozens will die as they attempt to enter the country illegally through the deserts near Green Valley.

We have sympathy for migrants who want water and food as they press into this country, looking for work. But the problem, especially the dying in the desert, must stop.

The state and federal governments need to enact laws establishing a uniform guest-worker program. And the laws penalizing illegal border activities must be enforced and strengthened.

We were sorely disappointed this week when the Arizona House failed to override Gov. Janet Napolitano’s veto of a bill requiring city and county police agencies to confront federal immigration violations. The effort fell 10 votes short of what was needed to send the override proposal to the Senate.

Less than a month ago, the bill passed 56-0 in the House and would have required agencies to give federal immigration training to their officers, put federal agents in units within their departments or set up relationships with federal authorities to confront the problem.

The House’s inability to override the veto was extremely strange. How could House members support it unanimously, then lose their courage?

Napolitano’s argument of the state having to pick up millions in costs was shallow and ignored the need to act. We agree with Republican Rep. Russell Pearce of Mesa, who pushed the override because he saw the legislation as strong tool in equipping law enforcement to fight immigration crimes.

We were perplexed by legislators such as Democratic Rep. Ben Miranda of Phoenix, who voted for the original bill and against the override. He said many lawmakers re-examined the issue and concluded it would dilute police resources.

“We all took a closer look at the legislation. It creates a lot more problems than it would solve,” Miranda said.

It sounds as though Miranda and others wanted to talk tough. But when it came time to act, they walked away.

More arrests, we concede, are not going to stop the illegal activity. Still, we think it’s comforting for Green Valley residents to know the Border Patrol is starting to respond quickly and taking calls from citizens with the seriousness and respect they deserve.

Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Respond with a Letter to the Editor by e-mailing letters@gvnews.com.